[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f2ldgqwpg3vh55":3,"$ffeh0925h8cuz":39,"$fbwk2pqjjqsc7":43},{"item":4,"previous":27,"next":33},{"id":5,"slug":6,"title":7,"description":8,"excerpt":9,"contentType":10,"featuredImage":11,"bannerImage":9,"body":12,"agentsBottomLine":13,"bodyImage":14,"isInfographic":15,"categories":16,"isVideo":15,"videoThumbnail":9,"videoSource":9,"publishedAt":25,"updatedAt":26},1568,"how-your-tax-refund-can-move-you-toward-homeownership-this-year","How Your Tax Refund Can Move You Toward Homeownership This Year","If you’re looking to buy a home in 2020, have you thought about putting your tax refund toward a down payment? Homeownership may be one step closer than you think if you spend your dollars wisely this year.","","blog","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.simplifyingthemarket.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F27145839\u002F20200302-KCM-Share.jpg","If you’re looking to buy a home in 2020, have you thought about putting your tax refund toward a down payment? Homeownership may be one step closer than you think if you spend your dollars wisely this year.\u003C!--more-->\r\n\r\nBased on data released by the \u003Cem>Internal Revenue Service \u003C\u002Fem>(IRS), Americans can expect an estimated average refund of \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffinance.yahoo.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftax-refunds-america-hidden-cost-120048320.html\">$2,962\u003C\u002Fa> when filing their taxes this year.\r\n\r\nThe map below \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fsmartasset.com\u002Ftaxes\u002Ftax-return-calculator?year=2020#us\u002FtaxReturn\">shows\u003C\u002Fa> the average tax refund Americans received last year by state:\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F20200302-Mem-Eng-1.jpg\">\u003Cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-41848\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F20200302-Mem-Eng-1.jpg\" alt=\"How Your Tax Refund Can Move You Toward Homeownership This Year | Simplifying The Market\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fa>According to programs from the \u003Cem>Federal Housing Authority, Freddie Mac, \u003C\u002Fem>and\u003Cem> Fannie Mae, \u003C\u002Fem>many first-time buyers can purchase a home with as little as 3% down. Truth be told, a 20% \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002F2019\u002F10\u002F07\u002F62-of-buyers-are-wrong-about-down-payment-needs\u002F\">down payment\u003C\u002Fa> is not always required to buy a home, even though that’s a common misconception about homebuying. \u003Cem>Veterans Affairs Loans\u003C\u002Fem> allow many \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002F2019\u002F11\u002F08\u002Fva-home-loans-by-the-numbers-infographic-2\u002F\">veterans\u003C\u002Fa> to purchase a home with 0% down.\r\n\u003Ch4>\u003Cstrong>How can my tax refund help?\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh4>\r\nIf you’re a first-time buyer, your tax refund may cover more of a down payment than you ever thought possible.\r\n\r\nIf you take into account the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.zillow.com\u002Fresearch\u002Fdata\u002F\">median home sale price\u003C\u002Fa> by state, the map below shows the percentage of a 3% down payment that’s covered by the average tax refund:\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F20200302-MEM-Eng-2.jpg\">\u003Cimg class=\"aligncenter wp-image-41849\" src=\"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F20200302-MEM-Eng-2.jpg\" alt=\"How Your Tax Refund Can Move You Toward Homeownership This Year | Simplifying The Market\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" \u002F>\u003C\u002Fa>The darker the blue, the closer your tax refund gets you to homeownership in one of these programs. Maybe this is the year to plan ahead and put your tax refund toward a down payment on a home.\r\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Bottom Line\u003C\u002Fstrong>\u003C\u002Fh3>\r\nSaving for a down payment can seem like a daunting task, but the more you know about what’s required, the more prepared you’ll be to make the best decision for you and your family. This tax season, your refund could be your key to homeownership.","\r\nSaving for a down payment can seem like a daunting task, but the more you know about what’s required, the more prepared you’ll be to make the best decision for you and your family. This tax season, your refund could be your key to homeownership.","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F20200302-Mem-Eng-1.jpg",false,[17,21],{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},5,"For Buyers","buyers",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},11,"First-Time Buyers","first-time-buyers","2020-03-02T10:00:53Z","2020-03-02T11:00:55Z",{"id":28,"slug":29,"title":30,"featuredImage":31,"publishedAt":32,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},1567,"10-steps-to-buying-a-home-infographic-2","10 Steps to Buying a Home [INFOGRAPHIC]","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.simplifyingthemarket.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F02\u002F25163535\u002F20200228-KCM-Share.jpg","2020-02-28T11:00:41Z",{"id":34,"slug":35,"title":36,"featuredImage":37,"publishedAt":38,"contentType":10,"isVideo":15},1569,"how-interest-rates-can-impact-your-monthly-housing-payments","How Interest Rates Can Impact Your Monthly Housing Payments","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.simplifyingthemarket.com\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2020\u002F03\u002F02134631\u002F20200303-KCM-Share.jpg","2020-03-03T10:00:47Z",{"cover":40,"open":41,"shareSpread":42},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Cover-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Spread-original.png","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.keepingcurrentmatters.com\u002FKeepingCurrentMatters\u002Fcontent\u002Fimages\u002F20260603\u002F2026-Summer-Buyers-Guide-Magazine-original.png",[44,48,49,53,57,61,65,66,70,74,78,82,86,90,94,98,102,106,110,114,118,122,126,130,134,138,142,146,150,154],{"id":45,"name":46,"slug":47},1,"Uncategorized","uncategorized",{"id":18,"name":19,"slug":20},{"id":50,"name":51,"slug":52},6,"For Sellers","sellers",{"id":54,"name":55,"slug":56},7,"Foreclosures","foreclosures",{"id":58,"name":59,"slug":60},8,"Infographics","infographics",{"id":62,"name":63,"slug":64},9,"Home Prices","home-prices",{"id":22,"name":23,"slug":24},{"id":67,"name":68,"slug":69},34,"Senior Market","senior-market",{"id":71,"name":72,"slug":73},35,"Mortgage Rates","mortgage-rates",{"id":75,"name":76,"slug":77},38,"Move-Up","move-up",{"id":79,"name":80,"slug":81},41,"For Sale by Owner","for-sale-by-owner",{"id":83,"name":84,"slug":85},42,"Featured","featured",{"id":87,"name":88,"slug":89},45,"New Construction","new-construction",{"id":91,"name":92,"slug":93},52,"Luxury \u002F Vacation","luxury--vacation",{"id":95,"name":96,"slug":97},53,"Rent vs. Buy","rent-vs-buy",{"id":99,"name":100,"slug":101},80,"Time-sensitive","time-sensitive",{"id":103,"name":104,"slug":105},81,"Outdated","outdated",{"id":107,"name":108,"slug":109},147,"Internal","internal",{"id":111,"name":112,"slug":113},148,"Do Not Autopost","do-not-autopost",{"id":115,"name":116,"slug":117},320,"Inventory","inventory",{"id":119,"name":120,"slug":121},321,"Agent Value","agent-value",{"id":123,"name":124,"slug":125},322,"Affordability","affordability",{"id":127,"name":128,"slug":129},323,"Buying Tips","buying-tips",{"id":131,"name":132,"slug":133},324,"Downsize","downsize",{"id":135,"name":136,"slug":137},325,"Economy","economy",{"id":139,"name":140,"slug":141},326,"Equity","equity",{"id":143,"name":144,"slug":145},327,"Forecasts","forecasts",{"id":147,"name":148,"slug":149},328,"Selling Tips","selling-tips",{"id":151,"name":152,"slug":153},339,"Expired\u002FWithdrawn\u002FCanceled","expiredwithdrawncanceled",{"id":155,"name":156,"slug":157},340,"Price It Right\u002FOverpricing","price-it-rightoverpricing"]